Advanced Reactor Framework

The advanced reactor vendors have requested that the Department of Energy (DOE) and US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) provide a licensing framework to avoid uncertainties associated with licensing a new reactor technology.

A team composed of senior staff from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Idaho National Laboratory, and Argonne National Laboratory, along with staff from DOE-Office of Nuclear Energy and NRC-NRO, reviewed the current light water reactor (LWR)-focused general design criteria (GDC) contained in 10 CFR 50 Appendix A and developed a generic set of criteria applicable to advanced reactors (non-LWRs) along with two technology-specific sets of design criteria for sodium-cooled reactors and high temperature gas reactors.

Benefit

Using the generic GDCs the NRC will develop a regulatory guide for advanced reactors. The technology-specific design criteria will flow directly from the generic and will serve as the basis for development of Principal Design Criteria for these specific types of reactors. The next step is for NRC to develop a risk-informed, performance-based, design-specific review standard using the generic and technology specific GDCs as acceptance criteria and reduce licensing uncertainty.

Sponsor

US Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy